Written By Blu Sandors
If you’ve ever been to Nashville, Tennessee, you would know why they call it music city. Nashville is a city that supports its local singers and songwriters simply by letting them play practically anywhere. There is almost no possible way to avoid the musicians and their songs as you journey through the city to your destination. When you get off your flight at the airport, there will be a singer/songwriter on a mini stage located near the baggage claim and/or ticket counters. Your Uber driver will most likely be a musician of some sort, possibly even another songwriter. When you reach your hotel, there will be someone there also, singing and playing guitar. If you’re lucky, your hotel will have many singers and songwriters in the lobby waiting for their turn to take the stage. These types of shows are called writers’ nights, open mic, or writers in the round.
The rule is that all songs must be original and performed without any type of backing track. Nashville is a town full of dreamers and hard chargers. Hundreds of thousands of citizens are trying to break into the business on a daily basis. Only a handful will succeed in receiving a publishing deal, staff writer position, or the holy grail of deals, the record deal.
What if I live in a small community? Is it possible I could get the same support as those singers and songwriters in Davidson County? The answer is yes! Pahrump now has a show called “Pahrump Songbirds.” Pahrump Songbirds is a 3-hour show that partners with local venues to host an open mic/writers night for local artists to perform their originals or cover songs. The idea came from Tracey Baker, a Nashville native, who lived the lifestyle of a struggling songwriter. Playing all over Nashville at venues such as The Bluebird Cafe, Douglas Corner, 3rd and Lindsley, The Commodore, Bobbie’s Idle Hour, The Hotel Indigo, as well as countless others, he was able to see firsthand exactly how the professionals structured their shows.
“I remember the process was very precise and polished. You would have to email or call the venue at a certain time on a certain day. Due to the popularity of some writer nights, only a certain number of writers could play each show. So if you didn’t get through on the phone, you would have to try again next week. Writers’ nights that used email would schedule you a time and date to perform. This could be 3 weeks or 3 months out. As a writer, you definitely had to keep a calendar. The Bluebird Cafe was always a 6-month or more wait. The good news about waiting was, you had time to write new material and bring your best songs to the gig.”
The Pahrump Songbirds writers’ night/open mic is actually more like an artist showcase. You may play original songs if you desire or play your favorite cover tunes. Many musicians sing and play their favorite songs, while only a few write their own material. For this reason, it would be very hard to keep the format “original songs only.” The goal is to bring out all types of musical artists so they may perform, meet, and network with other artists. Due to time constraints, backing tracks will not be permitted. Also, AI songs are not allowed unless the artist can perform them in person by singing and playing an instrument. Tracey describes the process with these words: “Pahrump Songbirds is bringing real, authentic, natural vulnerability to the audience, which allows for an intimate connection not possible with digital processing.” The show is scheduled for 3 hours only, which means 12 artists will fill the bill for each show. The event only becomes an “open mic” when an artist is unable to make it. That open slot will be filled with a local artist from the audience. The schedule allows only one show per month at a pre-selected venue. You will see flyers appear on many local Pahrump Facebook pages with the dates and times of the next show. You can also check the @Pahrumpsongbirds Facebook page for immediate up-to-date information. If you are interested in performing at one of the events, please email: [email protected]. Include your name, a brief description of your act, and the needed supplies to include vocal mics and guitar mics. Acoustic instruments and piano are preferred.
